original description;

In which the Senju and the Uchiha hate each other, but Hashirama and Madara don't. They fall in love, even though they're not supposed to.

[Long oneshot, Romeo and Juliet-ish AU, HashiMada]

( dedicated to leewaze )

/////////

He drew a long breath, releasing it out after a few moments. He lay on his back in the grass lazily, staring at the dusking heavens above him. The stars had started to come out, twinkling prettily and reminding him it was about time for him to go home, but he could not bring himself to get up.

So he lay there longer than he was supposed to, but he didn't care. He was tired and didn't feel like making the trip back home.

His eyes fluttered shut without him even realizing. Soon enough, he found himself asleep and dreaming. He dreamt of a better life, a better world – a world he'd wished he lived in. One without hatred between two clans – Senju and Uchiha. One with everlasting peace between them instead.

He got tired of the excessive feuding. That's not what he wanted.

When he awoke, the sky was light again. It was past dawn; the sun had already risen. He sat up, stretching and yawning, and then he brought his knees to his chest, resting his head upon them.

His brother was probably worried sick about him, but unfortunately he wasn't planning on heading home any time soon. His stomach rumbled, however, which means he'd have to go soon or he'd have to go hungry.

He thought it over for a moment, wondering how much trouble he'd be in when he got back, and reached over and grabbed a stone, standing up. He tossed it, causing it to skip across the water but not reach the other side. He frowned at this.

He spent the next hour or two skipping stones, and got annoyed each time when they would not make it to the other side.

He took a break, napping for a short while before he was at it again.

When he was about ready to give up, he felt a presence behind him. He spun around, and found himself face to face with another boy.

Another boy, about his age, and he was somewhat young. Fourteen, about to be fifteen soon.

This was the first time he ever saw this boy. Never before had he ever seen this boy in all his times of coming to this place. Strange.

"If you do it like this…" the boy began, picking up a stone and skipping it the way he had been, which caused the stone to not reach the other side, "It'll just sink and not make it across. But if you do it like this…" The boy skipped another stone, and it reached the ground on the other side. "You'll get it there. You just need to aim a little higher when you throw. That's how you get the knack of it."

The boy smiled at him and picked up yet another stone, handing it to him. "Here, you try."

He accepted the stone a tad reluctantly, eyeing the other boy suspiciously. "Who are you?" He asked, tossing the stone in the air and catching it, an annoyed look on his face from being shown up by this other kid.

"Right now you could say I'm your new rival in stone skipping," the boy answered, still smiling happily. "But mine's already gotten to the other side. And you can call me Hashirama. Although, it's probably best if I don't give you my surname. What about you? Who are you?"

He looked at the stone in his hand. "I'm Madara," he replied, staring at the water now. "And I'm not giving my surname to a stranger, either."

"Okay. Anyway, now skip the stone."

Madara frowned at this, not liking being told what to do by a mere stranger, but he did it anyway. The stone sunk before it could get all the way across.

"I don't think you did it quite right," Hashirama told him, grabbing another stone and trying to show him again.

"I did it exactly how you did!" Madara snapped, and Hashirama shrunk away from him. "You bastard! You stood behind me on purpose to distract me, didn't you?!" Hashirama shook his head, and when Madara's angry expression didn't fade, he immediately sat on the ground with his face buried in his knees, looking depressed. Madara looked at him then, no longer angry but downright confused.

"Sorry," Hashirama murmured softly, and Madara sighed out. "I didn't mean to make you angry. I'm ready to be tossed into the river as my punishment."

"You know, you're kind of annoying."

"What I know is that one thing's for sure – I'm better than you at stone skipping."

"Want me to skip you instead?!"

"Well…" Hashirama's voice got lower with his next words. "I just hope I can reach the other side…"

Madara gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes in anger again. "You really are annoying!" He shouted, shaking his head quickly. "I don't like you anymore! Go away!"

Hashirama stayed quiet for a moment. "Well then," he said finally, getting up off the ground and beginning to walk away.

"No, wait!" Madara shouted again, grabbing the other boy's shoulder. Hashirama looked at him and sat back down again after a moment.

Madara sat down beside him. "Sorry for yelling," Madara said with a little chuckle, and Hashirama smiled a little. "I'm… pretty hotheaded."

"I can tell…"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"N- Nothing…!"

They didn't speak for a while after that, and suddenly, Madara stood up. "Well, see you," he uttered, and Hashirama looked up at him.

"Yeah, okay…" He responded, nodding. "See you… Madara, was it…?"

"Yeah," the younger boy replied, and then Madara went into the direction of his home.

When he arrived at his home, his only remaining brother, Izuna, and their father and mother yelled at him, claiming to have been worried sick about him, hoping he wasn't kidnapped or hurt or something, and then, after learning his reason for not coming home, they berated him for being careless enough to fall asleep somewhere.

"I'm sorry," is all he said, getting something to eat. His parents let him be after that, but his brother kept asking him what he'd been up to.

He never did mention the boy he met, but he figured he shouldn't; less trouble that way.

He gave no actual response to Izuna, so then his brother left him alone.

Madara had once had other brothers, but they'd died of a sickness when they were young, after eating poisonous berries without anyone realizing. Perhaps that was why Madara and Izuna were so close – because they were the last two.

It could also be why their parents were so worried about them all the time.

Madara gave a sigh.

—

Madara went to the riverbank again the next day, half hoping to see that boy again – Madara didn't exactly have any friends and this was a great opportunity to make at least one.

…Even if that friend was the annoying kid with the dorky haircut and lame outfit, who beat him in stone skipping before they'd even met.

But the boy didn't show up, and Madara couldn't help but to feel a twinge of disappointment. He sighed and dipped his feet into the slightly warm water, deeming it warm enough to swim in, and decided to do just that. He quickly rid himself of all of his clothes and went into the water, which came up to his waist – he didn't realize how deep it actually was. Either that, or he was just pretty short.

He frowned at that.

He stayed in the water until he got chilly, and then he got out, uncomfortably pulling on his pants without drying off first, the material sticking to him. He found it to be rather annoying.

He went home after that, but the next day, he was back again. Still half hoping to see him – that boy… Hashirama.

And Madara saw him then, sitting by the water. Hashirama heard him coming and looked back at him.

"Hey," he uttered cheerfully. Madara tried not to appear too happy as he replied.

"Oh, it's you. Hello."

They chatted awhile, talking about nothing in particular, until Madara confessed.

"I was here looking for you yesterday," he said nonchalantly, playing with a pebble. Hashirama smiled a little. "But only because I'm confident I can get my stone across this time. But you weren't here, and I went swimming instead."

"Yeah? Well, why don't you show me now that I am here?"

"Maybe I will."

Needless to say, Madara's stone never got to the other side.

—

The next time Madara and Hashirama met at the riverbank was only a couple of days after. They skipped some stones and talked for a while, spending all day with each other and then agreed to meet again before they went their separate ways.

They met again, and again, and again, at least once or twice a week for about a year. They knew and trusted each other fairly well at this point, enough that they could say that they were good friends.

They talked about their dreams, some of which they shared. As it turned out, Hashirama had brothers that also died. They died of a sickness as well.

Madara wondered about Hashirama's life sometimes, but he never asked. Even though they had known each other for a year, he still did not want to pry into Hashirama's private life.

Hashirama obviously didn't feel that way about Madara's private life.

"Hey, Madara," Hashirama uttered one day, the two lying beside each other. The other boy looked at him, waiting for him to continue. "Have you ever kissed someone?"

"Tch, why do you ask?

Hashirama shrugged. "Just making conversation, I guess. So, have you?"

Madara's eyebrow raised. "Well, no, I haven't," he told the other boy, trying not to feel embarrassed, but he ended up blushing a little anyway.

"I have," Hashirama said nonchalantly. "Once. But I don't like to think of it as my real first kiss."

"Why is that?"

Hashirama shrugged again. "I don't know, it just was weird. And I didn't really like the girl who'd kissed me. Is that bad?"

It was Madara's turn to shrug. "I don't know," he said before chuckling slightly. "Probably."

Hashirama also chuckled. "Oh well," he murmured, smiling. After a moment, he spoke again. "Why haven't you kissed someone?"

Madara knitted his eyebrows together. "Does it matter?" He asked in annoyance, but the other boy just kept looking at him, and he sighed. "Well, maybe I just haven't found the right person yet…"

"You will," Hashirama insisted, and Madara only shrugged again.

"As you can probably tell, I'm not very good with people," the younger boy admitted, picking up a leaf he found on the ground, playing with it almost absently. "That's why you, of all people, are my only friend, as sad as that is."

Hashirama, slightly offended, sighed sadly as he sat up and buried his face in his knees, slipping into his 'instant depressed' mode once again.

Madara realized what he had said and laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean that."

Hashirama looked at him and lay back down, sighing out softly. "I'm sure you'll find someone," he said, smiling a little.

"Tch, I doubt it."

Hashirama's smile got wider as he seemed to get an idea. "Hey, maybe we should kiss…?"

Madara looked at him with widened eyes and parted lips, and then suddenly he blushed and frowned. "Have you no shame?" He asked with disbelief. "No, you fool, we shouldn't…"

"Why not? We're friends, right?"

"Even if we're friends, friends do not kiss each other! Idiot! I know that much!"

"We could just think of it as an experiment or as practice," Hashirama suggested, feeling a bit of excitement run through him. "Besides, we trust each other, don't we? It's a great idea!"

"It's a terrible idea," Madara corrected, frowning. "Anyways, you can't kiss me – I'm not a girl."

"So what?"

"What do you mean, 'so what'? Last time I checked, boys aren't supposed to kiss other boys."

"I mean it doesn't matter if you're not a girl to me! I don't care at all! I just want to kiss you!" Madara felt himself flush at this, his eyebrows flying up.

"You're so stupid!" He nearly shouted, sitting up and crossing his arms. "Do you not realize that you shouldn't just casually kiss someone? You should only kiss someone if you really love them!"

Hashirama blushed, looking off somewhere. "That didn't come out like I'd wanted… I mean… well… I just… I want to try with you… I wanna make sure you have a really good first kiss, with someone you trust… so… please? Let me kiss you?"

Madara looked at him, considering it, before throwing his sandal at him. "No," he said firmly. "Don't ask again."

Hashirama pouted lugubriously, and Madara shook his head, taking his sandal back and feeling awkward.

They spent the next few minutes in silence, and then Hashirama gave a sigh, and Madara swore under his breath.

"Why do want to kiss me anyway?" He asked the older boy. "Don't you know someone else who you can kiss?"

"Well… I trust you a lot more than I trust about anyone else. And no, I don't."

"You should wait until you find someone else. Someone you actually want to kiss, not someone who's just available."

"But I do actually want to kiss you. I already said that."

Madara was surprised at this. "But… why?"

"For a lot of reasons. I trust you – as I've already said. You're my best friend, and I want my real first kiss to be with someone like you – smart, kind, yet also fierce, and pretty."

"I'm not–"

"Besides," Hashirama interrupted, smiling, "Like I said before, I want you to have a good first kiss too."

Madara's lips parted, and he shook his head again. "You'll be the death of me, you idiot," he said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. He then turned slightly to face the older boy, his cheeks heating up again, which made him feel annoyed with himself.

Hashirama looked at him curiously. Madara huffed slightly, rubbing his sweaty palms against his pants.

"If you're going to kiss me… do it now… before I change my mind again," he uttered, his eye twitching a little, and Hashirama instantly sat up quickly, scooting closer to his friend. "Just… don't mess it up, yeah?"

Hashirama nodded quickly, feeling the beat of his heart increase in speed. They both leaned closer, slowly, and Madara suddenly wanted to back out, an intense feeling of nervousness washing over him.

Their noses brushed slightly and Madara figured it was too late to back out now. Both closing their eyes, Hashirama closed the distance between them, kissing Madara softly on the lips, and it took Madara a moment to realize he should kiss back.

And he did, although pretty badly, but Hashirama wasn't so good at it either, so it didn't really matter.

He felt Hashirama's hand find his, and then he tried to pull back to breathe. He managed to only get in a gasp of air before Hashirama's lips were on his again.

They broke apart a moment later, breathless and feeling a bit too warm. They somewhat collapsed beside each other in the grass, not looking at each other in an attempt to avoid embarrassment, panting and staring at the sky.

Madara felt almost dizzy, and he wasn't sure if it was from the lack of oxygen or the intenseness of the kiss. His face felt hot – but so did the rest of him – and his heart was pounding, and so he closed his eyes to calm himself down.

A few minutes passed and after they both calmed down, and Hashirama sat up slightly and looked at Madara.

"Was it a one time thing, or can I kiss you again?" He asked, and Madara just gave him a look. An 'are you kidding me' look.

"So soon?" He questioned with that look still on his face, and Hashirama nodded. Madara shook his head, rolling his eyes. "We just did it. So… not now… wait until the next time we meet. I have to go soon. The sun is setting."

"Okay," the older boy murmured, smiling a little. "I'll be looking forward to it!"

Madara sighed, but he smiled too. "Idiot."

They were quiet for a little while, and then Hashirama spoke. "Hey… Madara?" He whispered, and Madara looked at him again.

"Hm?"

"I think I trust you enough to give you my last name."

Madara studied him, now curious. "Yeah?" He found himself asking. "Well, what is it then?"

"But you have to tell me yours, too, okay?"

Madara huffed. "Yeah, yeah, sure."

Hashirama exhaled. "Okay," he murmured, still smiling slightly. "It's Senju. I'm from the Senju clan. What about you, Madara?"

Madara's lips parted in surprise. Senju? Hashirama couldn't be a Senju… He just… he couldn't…

It would ruin everything…

"Madara?"

"You're a Senju?" Madara questioned, sitting up, and Hashirama nodded slowly. Madara shook his head. "But… I'm an Uchiha! Our clans as well as our personal families hate each other! There's no way we can be friends anymore!"

"What?!" Hashirama exclaimed, surprised. "You're an Uchiha?! But you're really nice…"

Madara quickly stood up. "If our parents find out that we've been friends for about a year now, they'll kill us! We have to stop seeing each other!" And with that, he turned to go, making Hashirama's blood run cold. The Senju boy stood, grabbing Madara's arm.

"Don't go!" He pleaded, and Madara looked at him with surprise. "I don't want to lose you! You're my friend–"

"But you're a Senju," Madara uttered, a hint of sadness in his voice. "And I'm… I'm an Uchiha–"

"I don't care if you're an Uchiha, Madara… I don't, won't and can't hate you. You… you mean a lot to me – you're my best friend. My only actual friend, really. Please… Madara, don't end our friendship because our families and clans hate each other."

"We won't ever be able to be seen together. We'll have to keep part of our lives a secret from our own families. We won't be able to speak of each other to anyone. No matter who it is. We just can't even let anyone know we know each other. You realize this, don't you? Do you really want to live your life, being friends with me, in secret?"

"I do, and I don't care. I would do anything to keep you as my friend."

A few moments passed slowly. Hashirama's heart was pounding hard, and he held tightly onto Madara's arm, not wanting to let go, afraid that if he left go, Madara would leave and he'd never see him again. His eyes searched the Uchiha's, wondering what he was thinking.

"Okay," is all Madara said. Hashirama blinked once, confused. "Okay. I'll come back in two days. Wait for me here."

Hashirama grinned, and he pulled the younger boy into a hug. Madara pushed him away after a second, and Hashirama just looked at him, feeling so happy and relieved.

"I'll see you then," the older boy then uttered, and Madara nodded. The two then parted ways as night had begun to fall.

Hashirama ignored all questions from his brother, such as "Why are you smiling like that?" and "Where have you been?" and "What have you been up to, brother?", deciding that staying silent was better than lying. Tobirama huffed at him, shaking his head.

"Elder brother, you're so troublesome, making me worry about you, when you should be the one worrying about me," he grumbled, and Hashirama found it to be cute, and he told him so.

Tobirama, if possible, got angrier. "I am not cute!" He shouted, huffing and walking off. Hashirama couldn't help but to laugh, and then he got himself something to eat for dinner.

He later went to bed and dreamt of Madara, dreaming of them being friends forever, dreaming of kissing him again, all the romantic and cliche stuff. He couldn't wait to see him again, just as he always never could.

Hashirama gave a content sigh.

—

The next day Madara felt a tad anxious about meeting Hashirama again now that he knew the boy was a Senju. His biggest concern was what would happen if his parents found out. What would they do? Madara hadn't a clue but he figured it wouldn't be good.

He wondered why the Senju and Uchiha clans hated each other anyway. He knew he'd been told before, but he had forgotten.

His family sat at the dinner table, and Madara was lost in thought. "Madara," his mother uttered, bringing him out of his thoughts. "You've barely touched your food. What's the matter?"

"I was just wondering why us Uchiha hate the Senju," he said quietly, shrugging as if it wasn't hard for him to have to lie and say he hated every Senju, which meant Hashirama too.

He knew it wasn't the truth. They didn't have to.

"Why would you be thinking of that?" His father, Tajima asked, his eyebrows furrowed. Madara gave another shrug.

"It just happened to cross my mind. I seem to have forgotten the reason."

"Well, it's to do with something that happened so long ago. Those vermin Senju stole something very precious to our clan; an ancient relic known as the Sharingan."

"Sharingan?"

"Yes. It was a crimson, precious crystal necklace of sorts. It was sacred to our clan, worth more than money can buy. But those Senju scum took it from us, and somehow, they managed to destroy it. We cannot forgive them for that. We've been at each other's throats since, taking and having things taken from us."

"All this feuding over a necklace?"

Tajima seemed upset with those words. "It's wasn't just a necklace, Madara. It was a sacred relic."

Madara felt that that was a bit of stupid reason to start conflict, but he kept his mouth shut as to not upset his father further and only nodded.

"And so we stole their most precious thing and have had it since."

"What was theirs?"

"Some sacred sword from their clan with a tree on it called the Mokuton, which was partially made from a sacred tree that existed a very, very long time ago, and supposedly wielded by one of their ancestors."

"Oh, I see."

"In any case, they've done things since then that put us into a position that we cannot stop fighting back. They could have possibly been the ones to give your brothers those poisonous berries that killed them."

"Can you be certain that they have done it?"

"You never know with the Senju."

Madara frowned, eating a bit of his dinner before going to bed. He didn't want to think about what had been said. He didn't want to believe the Senju could be responsible for his brothers' deaths.

He lay in bed that night, hardly getting any rest.

—

The next day, when they'd meet at the riverbank again, Hashirama was excited. He couldn't wait to see Madara again.

He was there a bit earlier than usual, deciding to skip some stones as he waited for Madara to arrive.

He waited an hour, and then two, and then three, and Madara hadn't shown up. Hashirama got worried. Had Madara lied to him? He hoped not.

He was getting ready to leave when Madara finally showed up, and the Senju boy instantly felt relieved. He jumped up, hugging the Uchiha.

"You're finally here," he said happily, pulling back with a smile on his face. "I was worried about you."

"I'm sorry," Madara murmured, moving away from the older boy slightly. "My parents made me watch my little brother while they went out. I left as soon as they came back."

"It's okay," Hashirama said softly, observing Madara's behavior. "But are you?"

"Hm?"

"Are you okay?"

Madara narrowed his eyes. "I'm fine," he said, annoyed. Hashirama gave a soft sigh of relief; Madara now seemed like normal self.

"You sure?" Hashirama asked, just in case. "Is something the matter?"

"What would be the matter?"

The Senju shrugged before grinning. "Alright then."

A few minutes had passed, the two skipping stones. Madara still hadn't been able to get his stone to the other side. Even after all this time.

Hashirama noticed that Madara seemed a bit off still, but he didn't ask about it, and instead, he asked something else.

"So," he began, blushing slightly. "Can I kiss you now? I mean, last time you said…"

Madara looked at him with an eyebrow raised, and sighed as if it was an inconvenience, although he wasn't actually bothered. "Very well, if you must."

Hashirama bit his lip slightly and wasted no time, kissing him almost immediately. Madara kissed back clumsily, the action still being foreign to him.

Madara didn't quite understand why Hashirama seemed to enjoy kissing him; it's not like he was any good at it.

One of Hashirama's hands was on his thigh, and the other was on his shoulder, holding himself up, but suddenly Madara felt something happening to him, and he pulled back, his cheeks pink.

"Hashirama…" He whispered softly, looking away.

This was definitely more than just 'practice' or 'experimenting', and they both knew it. Also, Madara didn't know exactly what was happening to his body, but it was odd. Sure, Madara had been sexually aroused before – he was a teenage boy after all – but it was nothing like this. This was… different somehow. And yet, Hashirama didn't comment on his strange behavior.

Madara figured he was trying to avoid embarrassing him, and he was fine with that, because if the Senju was, in fact, trying to embarrass him, Madara would have thrown him in the river… or something like that.

"Did you want to go swimming?" Hashirama asked all of a sudden, smiling happily. Madara was glad for the change in subject. "It's pretty hot out today for being autumn."

"It is," the Uchiha agreed, staring at the water. "And perhaps it wouldn't be too bad of an idea."

Hashirama got up, stripping himself of most of his clothes and walked into the water. Madara did the same, realizing too late that the water was a bit cold and felt himself give a shiver.

But soon he got used to it. The boys swam for a while, and when they got out, Madara lay down to let the sun wash over him and dry his soaked pants, staring at the sky.

"I should be getting home soon," he commented, and the Senju nodded.

"Yeah, me too," he said softly, grabbing a stone and skipping it.

"Hashirama…" Madara whispered after a moment passed, and Hashirama looked at him. "Would you come lie with me? I want to lie beside you and just… forget the world… I want to forget that our clans hate each other for just a moment. I want to forget what we've been told all our lives, before we get too old. I want…"

He trailed off, and when Hashirama realized he wasn't going to finish, he lay beside Madara, staring at the sky as well, watching as the sun began to set on a day that had been so wonderful.

"I have to go," Madara murmured after some time, getting up and pulling his robe back on. Hashirama nodded, getting up as well, gathering up his clothes. "Also, if you're still curious about my odd behavior, it's because I may have to start meeting you at nighttime, after everyone's gone to bed."

"Why?" The Senju asked curiously, eyebrows knitted together.

"My parents are starting to think I've been meeting with a girl and they've been asking to meet 'her'," the Uchiha explained, sighing. It was a bit of a lie, but his parents did think he was seeing a girl and asked to meet 'her'. And Hashirama didn't have to know the exact reason why he was a tad distraught all day anyway. "I don't feel like making up a ton of lies and excuses, so, perhaps we'll have to start meeting at dark. Maybe not. I'll let you know next time, in three days."

"Okay," the older boy replied, his voice soft. But before Madara could leave, Hashirama kissed him again. "See you then?"

Madara nodded and then turned to leave, but then Hashirama found himself following. Madara didn't say anything until they reached a clearing, where the Uchiha's house was.

"You should go back, before someone else sees you."

"This is where you live?"

"Yes, but don't make a habit of coming here."

"I was only curious… I thought that I should see where I could find you in case you don't show up for a long time again."

"I see. Well, you've seen it. I don't mean to be rude but you have to go. I just don't want you to be seen and then we both get into trouble."

"I understand, I'm sorry. I'll go now. Bye, Madara."

"Bye, Hashirama."

And with that, the Senju left, and Madara went the rest of the way and went home.

—

When they met up at one point about a week or two later, something was different. Something was… off.

Madara had an uncanny feeling in the pit of his stomach as he walked to the riverbank this time. There was just something that wasn't quite right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He felt rather uneasy.

When he arrived, Hashirama was there already, and the Uchiha felt a bit better. Madara walked up to him and Hashirama hugged him.

"Hey," the Senju said softly, "I missed you, you unfair Uchiha. You're always keeping me waiting… but I still like you." Madara pushed him back only a little, rolling his eyes but smiling.

"Idiot Senju, don't get all mushy on me," the Uchiha murmured, and suddenly they were kissing, and Madara wasn't sure who started it. He wondered when exactly this had become such a normal thing to do between them, but it seemed that now whenever they saw each other, they ended up kissing.

Madara wondered if this meant they were lovers now, but he wasn't sure. They definitely weren't just friends anymore.

He knew that he felt something for Hashirama. He just quite didn't know how to say how he felt. It was something strong he felt, he knew. Something stronger than just a simple crush, but call it anything but love; Madara was afraid of being in love.

Besides, he felt that saying… those three little words… wasn't enough. Those words were said too much, and sometimes not enough, and he felt that if he said them, everything would be ruined.

But Madara wasn't really sure about how relationships worked, and so he just decided not to worry about it, and just go with it.

Hashirama deepened the kiss a little, shyly letting his tongue come out. Madara did the same, although a tad reluctantly, and the both of them could swear they felt sparks when their tongues met for the first time.

But they broke apart when they heard a faint gasp. Madara turned and looked, only to find a boy with white hair in the bushes, face covered in a look horror.

So… that's why…

"Tobirama?!" Hashirama felt confused. Why was his brother there? Was he spying?

"That's your brother?" Madara asked worriedly, and Hashirama nodded.

They heard some rustling of leaves coming from another area, and another boy was found in the bushes, face also morphed into an expression of horror.

"Izuna…?!" Madara uttered, recognizing the boy right away, his expression one nearly matching his brother's.

Izuna suddenly took off running, as did the white haired boy, and Madara widened his eyes even more, turning to Hashirama, who looked surprised and confused all at once.

"That other boy was my brother," the Uchiha said, panicking. "I have to go and try to stop him. He's going to tell my family about us at this rate, and more than likely, your brother will tell yours. Dammit!"

"I think our brothers were spying on us," Hashirama murmured, trying to make sense of what just happened. "What do you think our parents will say?"

"I don't know, but it won't be good," Madara muttered, gripping at his own hair. "Dammit… I… I have to go. Right now. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I have to go too. But… please tell me I'll see you again."

The Uchiha looked at the Senju. "I can't make any promises, but I'll try to come back. A week from today, at night. Wait for me."

And Madara quickly kissed him before running off, chasing Izuna, although the younger Uchiha was a lot farther ahead. Hashirama left as well, just as quickly, chasing his own brother.

When Madara finally reached his house, Izuna was already explaining everything.

"…kissing this boy, who was from the Senju clan!" He heard Izuna finish, and their parents were then looking at Madara the way Izuna had been earlier, although with anger.

"Madara, is this the truth?!" Tajima asked angrily, nearly shouting.

Madara's lips parted, debating on whether or not to lie, but he figured it would be futile at this point. "It is," he said finally, and his parents both gasped slightly.

His father's anger seemed to get stronger, turning into something more like fury. He stepped closer to Madara, who kept his eyes on the ground.

"I'm so disappointed in you, Madara," his father said quietly, shaking his head, although his voice got louder as he contained to speak, "I can't believe a boy like you – an Uchiha – would have the audacity to sneak around with a Senju! Especially a boy, who I've heard you kissed! What's that about?! Have you no shame?!"

Madara stayed quiet, feeling afraid that if he spoke, he'd cry and appear weak, which is not what he wanted to happen. Especially not in front of his father.

"Listen up," Tajima spat, grabbing Madara's hair roughly and forcing him to meet his angry eyes. "You are never to see that Senju kid again! You hear me?! I forbid you!" Madara didn't reply, swallowing harshly when his hair was yanked on harder. "Do you hear me?!"

Madara quickly nodded the best he could, and his hair was released. "Get out of my sight," Tajima said lowly, and Madara quickly shuffled past him. "Also, take a bath. I don't want to be near you when you've been touching that Senju until you've scrubbed yourself clean." Madara gave a small nod and went into the house, ignoring the disappointed look from his mother and the apologetic look from Izuna.

He went into his room, collapsing on his bed, feeling almost empty. He didn't know if he was sad or angry. He didn't know whether or not he wanted to cry or punch the wall.

He was torn between doing both actually.

He wondered what Hashirama was doing. Madara knew that Hashirama's brother also, more than likely, snitched on them, and so the boy was probably getting into trouble as well.

Madara somehow felt as if it was his fault, although that wasn't exactly the case. They both should have been more careful, more discreet.

He hoped Hashirama's father wouldn't harm the boy like his father almost did. He didn't want Hashirama to be hurt.

He got up and went and took a bath like his father told him, somewhat tempted to try and drown himself in the water, but he knew he was just being stupid. He knew that, if Hashirama's parents were like his, he would be able to see the Senju boy again. Everything wasn't lost.

He smiled slightly in spite of himself, finishing his bath before going to bed without dinner.

—

Hashirama hoped that Madara was okay.

Two days had passed and Hashirama just couldn't help but to feel worried. He wondered what the Uchiha's parents had said to him.

Hashirama's father had shouted, saying that Hashirama couldn't see Madara anymore, saying Hashirama was supposed to get married to a girl from the Uzumaki clan, saying that he was disgusted with Hashirama, that Hashirama was a pathetic excuse for a Senju, and then he put Madara down as well, and actually went as far as smacking Hashirama in the face in the end. The young boy's mother stood there and let it happen.

Hashirama's father, Butsuma, had been giving him dirty looks since he found out, ashamed of him and his 'trysts' with an Uchiha boy. His mother only looked disappointed in him, and Tobirama was upset with the fact that Hashirama was sneaking around with an Uchiha, not because Madara was a boy, and he, too, shot his brother dirty looks sometimes, but didn't talk about what happened at all and didn't avoid him, which Hashirama was thankful for.

The days seemed to pass slowly, one by one, until it was almost time for the two to meet. The excitement of seeing Madara built up within the Senju, but he didn't show it visibly.

He went into his room as if he was going to bed for the night, but after he was sure his family was asleep, he climbed out of his window, dropping soundlessly onto the ground, and he ran quickly in the direction of the riverbank. He couldn't wait to see Madara.

He made it there in less time than he'd expected. Madara was not there yet, and Hashirama instantly worried, thinking the worst.

But Madara had told him to wait, and so he did. Barely even twenty minutes passed and finally, Madara was there.

"Madara," Hashirama whispered, staring at the Uchiha, who's face was illuminated by the light of the moon. The Senju got up from where he sat as Madara walked closer, and he pulled him into a hug. "I've missed you terribly."

"Hashirama…" Madara breathed softly, hugging the older boy back, for once. They stayed like that for some time. "Sorry I took so long… My parents took so long to get to bed… also… I'm not used to climbing out of my window and into a tree to get down onto the ground; my room is on the second floor."

"It's okay. Although I don't have that problem – my room is on the bottom floor."

"Oh, well anyway… it turns out, my brother, Izuna followed me the other day because he wanted to meet my 'friend'," the Uchiha murmured, staring at the shining water behind the Senju, "And he said he was actually not going to say anything to my parents, until he heard me refer to you as 'idiot Senju', and saw me kissing you – a boy. A Senju boy at that; he wouldn't let that part go. And so he said he told my father 'for my own protection'. And then my father told me that I'm forbidden to see you, but I don't think I'm able to listen to him. I blame you for that… I…"

Madara didn't finish his sentence, and so Hashirama spoke instead.

"My brother, Tobirama, followed me because he was suspicious of who I was meeting with, and is angry because you are an Uchiha, not because of your gender… My father on the other hand… it was much different with him. And he said the same thing yours did just about, but it's just that my parents want to marry me off to some Uzumaki girl when I'm old enough, but I know I can't let that happen. I, too, can't seem to listen; I can't be without you… and well, you did say that we should forget what we've been told… I just…"

They pulled away slightly and Madara's eyes met Hashirama's, their foreheads coming together and touching, their noses brushing against each other's.

"I love you," Hashirama finished in a whisper. Madara's eyes widened, and his lips parted slightly at the words he wasn't expecting. "I know… I know we're young… but… I just can't help but to feel as if I can't live without you, Madara… I know you're probably questioning if what I feel is actually love, but… I'm certain. What I feel for you is like what I've felt for no one else."

"Hashirama…"

"I care about you more than anything. I want you to be with me. I don't care what it takes."

Then Hashirama pressed their lips together, and they were kissing again. They broke apart shortly after to breathe, and Madara spoke softly.

"I think… perhaps I… feel something strongly for you as well, but… call it anything but love. Love is… not exactly my cup of tea." Hashirama couldn't help but to smile anyway. He knew what the Uchiha meant, and that was all that mattered. "You idiot Senju. Why are you smiling like that?"

"I'm feeling happy." Madara shook his head at this, chuckling slightly.

"So how have you been?" Hashirama then asked, pulling away to give Madara a bit of space, but he still held onto the Uchiha's hands. "Your father and mother didn't hurt you, did they?

"I'm alright, I suppose. And no, they didn't. Not really, anyway. And you?"

"Yeah, I'm alright, too. My father slapped me, but I'm okay." Madara felt himself getting angry that the Senju had been hit, but kept on listening to what Hashirama was saying and tried to keep himself under control. "Oh, and my birthday was the other day – I turned sixteen. But it wasn't that good of a birthday since my family is upset with me."

"Oh," Madara uttered, feeling Hashirama absently rub small circles into his hands. He guessed the Senju knew he was getting upset. "Happy belated birthday, Hashirama. I would've brought something to give to you had I known."

Despite him only just turning sixteen, Hashirama was very mature, already wanting things such as love and relationships, but Madara supposed that was to be expected from a sixteen year old boy. Madara was mature, too, but still afraid of love. And despite being mature, the boys were still childish sometimes.

"Thank you. And it's not necessary. Just seeing you is enough."

The two were quiet for a while, before Hashirama grinned. "Do you want to go for a swim? The water had all day to get warm, and it's a warm night, don't you think?"

"Alright, I suppose," Madara replied, smiling a little, but then he realized. "Oh, I can't. I can't get my clothes wet; it's dark and they won't really dry well, and I don't particularly want to go home in wet clothes."

"Ah, that's right," Hashirama uttered, but he let go of Madara's hands and began undressing anyway. Only when he reached for his pants did Madara turn his head away.

"You really don't have any shame," Madara commented a bit teasingly, blushing only slightly. He heard Hashirama laugh a little and get into the water.

Madara then sat down, watching the Senju swim around. "You should come in," the older boy suggested, and Madara shrugged.

"I don't know."

"If you're shy, then just say so."

"I'm not shy," Madara denied defensively, crossing his arms and looking away, huffing. Hashirama thought he resembled an angry child.

"If you're not, then come swim with me."

"Foolish little…" Madara muttered in annoyance as he stood, trailing off. He untied his robe, letting it hit the ground as he kicked his sandals off. He reached for his pants, but frowned. "Don't stare at me, idiot."

"Why not? I think you're pretty, remember?"

Madara's heart fluttered in his chest, but he narrowed his eyes. "Oh, shut up."

Hashirama giggled a little and Madara shook his head, untying the string on his pants to loosen them before he quickly slipped out of them and got into the water.

It was freezing.

"You lying, sneaky, perverted little Senju!"

Hashirama gave a roar of laughter, but it wasn't so funny to Madara.

"Go on, laugh it up," Madara told him, shivering as goosebumps broke across his skin like wildfire in a field of dry grass, and he then glared at the other boy. "You won't be laughing when I'm drowning you."

"But that wasn't so hard, was it?" Hashirama teased, and Madara's glare intensified.

"Shut up. All you wanted was to see me get undressed."

"That's not true, and besides, you chose to do it."

"Shut up, stupid."

Hashirama pouted, getting all depressed in an exaggerated way again, but Madara wasn't falling for it.

"Oh, give it a rest. That doesn't work on me anymore."

But Hashirama stayed that way, and eventually Madara just let out a huff, kissing the pout away.

Hashirama then smiled, and Madara rolled his eyes.

They swam around in the water, talking and messing around a little for a bit, and got out when their fingers looked like prunes and they were too cold to stand it any longer. They had to air-dry themselves before they got dressed (something they didn't think through beforehand), which was a bit awkward. Thankfully though, the air was warm.

They talked for a long time – until the sky brightened up. But that meant it was time to go, much to their dismay.

"I don't want to go home right now," Madara admitted, the first rays of early sunlight streaming across his skin. "Too bad I have to."

"I understand that," Hashirama said softly, and they both stood. "I love you."

Madara gave a small smile, and they kissed again. They then agreed to meet in three nights, and then they were off.

Madara went home and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

—

The next time they met up, Madara couldn't help but to laugh when he saw Hashirama was dressed all formally.

"Why are you dressed like that?" The Uchiha asked, chuckling a little.

Hashirama grinned sheepishly. "I didn't have really any time to change," he admitted, scratching the back of his head. "But I had to go to dinner with my family and meet this Uzumaki girl."

"Oh," Madara uttered with a small frown now, nodding slightly. "I see."

"Her name is Mito," the Senju said, yawning a little. "She was pretty but she was kind of rude towards me. My parents said most Uzumaki girls are like that though."

"Ah."

"Are you okay?" Hashirama asked, stepping closer to the Uchiha. "What's wrong?"

Madara shook his head, taking a step or two back. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Hashirama didn't believe him. "Really, Madara, what's going on?" He pressed, eyes full of concern.

"I said it's nothing," Madara insisted, crossing his arms. Hashirama sighed, stepping closer to him.

"You can tell me, you know."

Madara only stepped back again. "I have nothing to tell you."

Hashirama noticed that Madara would not look at him. He finally put two and two together and shook his head.

"Are you jealous of Mito?" He asked, and Madara's eyes widened slightly, his face heating up.

"Of course not," he denied, but they both knew he was lying.

"Don't worry, Madara," Hashirama laughed softly. "I don't like her and don't want to marry her. I didn't even want to meet her, but my parents made me go. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Madara murmured, and Hashirama stepped closer to him, close enough to touch him. He let himself be hugged and kissed by the Senju, missing him after three days of not seeing him.

"Hey," Hashirama whispered, getting Madara's attention, "Why don't you dance with me?"

"You want me to dance with you?" He asked, eyebrows knitted together. "Why? And besides, there's no music playing."

Hashirama shrugged. "I just want to dance with you. And I don't care that there's no music."

"Tch, fine. As long as you stop talking."

The Senju grinned, holding Madara by his tiny waist – he'd just actually realized how skinny the Uchiha actually was – and pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him. Madara rested his arms on the older boy's shoulders, and together they swayed gently.

"I feel like we look stupid, dancing together like this," Madara commented after a little while, frowning. "I don't know why I agreed to this."

"Well, luckily there's no one around to see us," Hashirama replied, laughing a little. "And you agreed because you like me. Isn't that right?"

"Hmph, you're so optimistic."

Hashirama smiled – Madara's tone was not one of mocking, but actually the opposite. "I try to be."

The Senju kissed the Uchiha after that, and when he pulled back, he spoke.

"I love you, Madara," he whispered softly, almost inaudibly. Madara would never get used to hearing those words as he felt his heartbeat picking up in speed, pounding hard against his chest.

Madara wondered if Hashirama could feel it too, his black eyes never leaving the Senju's brown ones.

"Your heart is beating really fast," Hashirama commented just then, answering Madara's silent question, "Are you embarrassed? Don't be." The Uchiha's eyes widened just a tad at that.

"Be still, my beating heart…" Madara whispered so quietly that Hashirama barely heard it. Madara's eyes narrowed as he then berated himself. However, he didn't say anything again. Hashirama realized this and spoke.

"I really do love you, Madara. Don't ever doubt it, okay?" The Senju pressed a light kiss to Madara's lips.

Madara's cheeks felt too warm for his liking and he squirmed slightly. He frowned once again.

How? How could Hashirama reduce him to this mess of a teenage boy with just telling him he loved him, with just kissing him, and just simply saying his name?

"I…" He began, but he didn't quite know what to say. He could say the words he knew Hashirama was dying to hear, but Madara was still afraid of them. "I'm not embarrassed, but I…"

"Shh… don't say anything more."

And he didn't.

When it was time to go, they agreed to meet in about two days, and kissed once more before they reluctantly went their separate ways.

But when Madara arrived home, he was greeted by two angry, tired-looking parents. Turns out, Izuna got up to talk to him after having a nightmare and discovered that his brother was gone, and went to their parents.

They questioned him, but of course they already knew he had been seeing Hashirama. Madara decided to attempt to lie his way out of things but it didn't work.

His mother and father were furious with him, and wanted him to stop seeing Hashirama once and for all. Tajima went on yelling for a long time while Madara's mother just gave the young boy a look that suggested very strong disappointment – a look she always gave him when he got into trouble.

They sent him straight into his bedroom, settling on not allowing him out alone as punishment, and warning him that if he disobeyed again, they were going to take even more drastic measures.

Just to be safe, Madara did not go back the night he was supposed to, deciding to give it a little bit more time before sneaking out again. Days passed after that. He felt bad for probably letting Hashirama down.

He didn't know what to do about it though. He couldn't exactly write him a letter, and he couldn't be caught sneaking away to see him. Hashirama would just have to wait.

But Hashirama was rather worried when Madara did not show up. He came back the next night, but still to no avail. He kept going back until he realized Madara wouldn't be coming.

But one night, he remembered. He got up out of bed, climbed out of his window, and ran.

He went to the riverbank, but ran back into the woods immediately, in the direction Madara always went when he left.

He hoped that things would turn out well in the end for them. No more of this; no more sneaking around to see each other, with feelings they had been forbidden from feeling for each other, but still felt anyway.

He didn't want to sneak around anymore. He didn't want to be looked down upon by his own family for who he loved.

All he wanted was to be truly happy, and wanted Madara to be happy as well.

—

Madara nearly was asleep, and suddenly he heard something. Something hitting his window. He stared at the glass, watching. And then he saw it – a pebble. Hitting the glass.

He got up, gazing outside. There, in the dark, he saw someone.

Hashirama.

Madara quickly opened his window, staring down at the Senju boy who stood there, looking up at him.

"Hashirama…!" Madara shouted in a whisper, being careful not to be too loud. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you," Hashirama replied. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Oh, well, I'm fine I guess. I just got caught by my parents thanks to my brother. That's all."

"Oh, I see."

"I was going to come as soon as their suspicion died down a little. There wasn't exactly a whole lot I could do in the meantime, though."

"I understand."

Hashirama looked up at the Uchiha boy, and their eyes met. The Senju then began to climb up the tree beside the window quickly, wasting no time, and Madara helped him inside.

"I missed you," Hashirama whispered, caressing Madara's cheek. "A whole lot."

The last bit sounded a tad suggestive, and Madara flushed, only half hoping that Hashirama didn't mean it that way. Not because he didn't think he was ready, but because he was inexperienced, which was embarrassing. However… he felt flattered.

Sometimes Madara wondered if Hashirama realized the way the things he said sounded when he said them. He also wondered how much the boy really knew about love and relationships and intimacy, but he didn't ask.

"I missed you as well."

They kissed, and Hashirama pulled back to smile. "You look so pre–"

"No… don't say that."

"Huh? You didn't even know what I was going to say."

Madara sat on his bed, frowning. "Yes, I did. You were going to say that I look pretty, but you're not going to say it. I won't let you."

"Why not? Why won't you let me call you pretty?"

"Because it's a lie. I'm nowhere close."

"But–"

"Shut up and kiss me," Madara commanded, interrupting the older boy, cheeks red again. He hated that Hashirama could get him all worked up like this all the time. Hashirama really was stupid, the Uchiha decided then, just as the Senju kissed him for the umpteenth time.

Madara was pushed back slightly, and so he leaned back on his elbows. Hashirama ran his fingers through Madara's dark hair, climbing up on the younger boy's bed and somewhat kneeling between his legs.

The Senju's hands moved to the Uchiha's shoulders, pushing the robe off of them slightly, revealing Madara's shoulders and more of his pale chest.

Madara pulled back after this. "Hashirama… what… what exactly are we doing?" He couldn't help but to ask, his voice soft, a hint of nervousness there, but hardly noticeable.

Hashirama thought about it, and then shrugged, a silly grin on his face. "Whatever you want."

Madara frowned; Hashirama didn't seem nervous at all to him, but the Uchiha shook his head and didn't say anything and Hashirama kissed his neck softly, and then kissed his shoulder, holding him close.

Hashirama then untied the thin obi holding Madara's robe closed, lightly touching the skin that was now uncovered. Their lips connected again, and Hashirama moved to lay closer with the younger boy, on top of him but not exactly crushing him.

The Senju kissed the Uchiha's jawline softly before moving to let their foreheads touch.

"Madara… you're my whole world, my heaven. You know that?"

"Hashirama… why me? Why choose to love someone like me? Why not someone like Mito?"

And Hashirama could only give a shrug. "It was just something that happened, but it was something I'm glad for. Even if I'd had been given a choice when I had fallen in love, I'd have still chosen you every time."

"Do you really believe that?" Madara asked a tad skeptically, staring up into the Senju's brown eyes.

"Yes," Hashirama replied, not doubting his answer whatsoever. "You're perfect for me."

"You think so? Even with our clans being who they are?"

"Yes, even so. You're so precious to me."

"Tch… don't get all mushy on me, Hashirama."

Hashirama smiled at the faint blush on Madara's face. "You like it," he teased, tracing some sort of shape on Madara's pink cheek with his finger.

"Hmph, believe whatever you want to."

Hashirama sighed and kissed the Uchiha then, his hand gliding over Madara's soft skin. A moment passed and Madara began to push him back slightly, and Hashirama let him.

The Uchiha slipped his robe the rest of the way off, leaving him bare from the waist up. Hashirama gently pushed him back down, experimentally rubbing against him in the most intimate way.

"You're so… intoxicating," Hashirama whispered, rubbing against the Uchiha again, taking his breath away. "You make me feel things I've never felt before… And I love… everything about you… You're my friend, and so much more…"

Madara let out a quiet gasp at the movement, grabbing Hashirama's shoulders. "I feel the same," he admitted with a blush, feeling Hashirama's lips on his neck. "I… don't want to be with anyone else."

He hated feeling embarrassed, but he felt that Hashirama should know how he felt about him, even if it made Madara feel humiliated.

Hashirama grinned against Madara's neck before sitting up a little to take off some of his own clothing, leaving him only in his pants, like Madara.

Hashirama kissed the Uchiha's shoulders, neck, and collarbone, and then his cheek and then the tip of his nose. The room was mostly quiet, the only sound being their heavy breathing.

"How far are we taking this?" Madara then asked, still feeling a bit breathless. "We have to make sure we keep our voices low and keep it quiet and slow."

"As far as you want, and that's fine," Hashirama answered, leaning down to connect their lips and Madara frowned, but let himself be kissed for a moment before he was pushing the Senju back a little once again.

"But I don't quite know what to do," he then admitted, and Hashirama just smiled small.

"Neither do I, really," he said, absently rubbing small circles with his thumb into Madara's clothed thigh. "But I'm sure we can figure it out."

"Perhaps…"

"I'm confident we can. After all, how hard could it be, right? It can't be much different from the way others do it, can it?"

"I don't know, Hashirama. I know as much as you do on this subject."

"I honestly think we can manage, don't you?"

"I suppose…"

Hashirama leaned in for a kiss, but Madara pushed him back, and he stood. He then stripped himself of the rest of his clothes, leaving him completely bare as he sat astride Hashirama's lap.

It was actually Hashirama who blushed this time, surprisingly. Madara felt the corners of his lips turn up into a slight smirk at it, but he didn't have time to tease the Senju about it as they kissed again, holding each other as close as they possibly could.

They made love for the first time that night, with only a little bit of difficulty at first – just a bit of pain and slight irritation on Madara's part, and a bit of anxiety on Hashirama's, but then everything was okay. Even after, when Hashirama kept apologizing for hurting Madara and causing him to bleed and Madara kept telling him he was fine. They both fell asleep, bare and curled up together comfortably.

However, they woke up the next morning to Madara's mother knocking on the door.

They both quickly got up, getting dressed as fast as possible. "Madara, are you decent?" His mother asked, knocking on the door once more.

"You have to hurry," Madara whispered, locking the door to keep his mother out just a bit longer, and Hashirama nodded, dressing as quickly as possible and moving towards the window.

They shared a kiss and Madara helped Hashirama climb out of the window and into the tree, and then he heard his mother knocking again.

"Madara? Why is the door locked? Open the door this instant!"

"Hurry," Madara whispered to the Senju again, and Hashirama began to climb down the tree carefully.

"Wait," Hashirama whispered suddenly, and Madara looked at him. "Madara… come with me!"

"You know I can't!"

"Madara!" The Uchiha's mother shouted angrily.

"Hurry, Hashirama! Go!"

"Wait! When can I see you again?"

"I… I don't know, but you have to go!" Hashirama frowned at that but nodded and dropped onto the ground almost soundlessly.

Madara heard his mother unlocking the door with the key she had, and looked down at the Senju. "Go," he uttered softly one last time.

Looking up, Hashirama whispered an "I love you", before taking off running, just after Madara's mother walked in to find her son nearly hanging out of the window. She frowned.

Pushing him aside, Madara's mother looked out of the window, seeing the teenage boy running towards the woods. She then angrily turned towards her son.

"Do you not know how to listen, and be an obedient child?!"

Madara's lips parted, listening as his mother spoke again.

"You've been seeing that Senju boy again." It wasn't a question, and Madara knew from her low tone that she was very angry. But before Madara could respond, his mother slapped him. Hard. He was stunned. She never, ever hit him before like that.

It was so loud that Hashirama could hear it from the edge of the woods, and it made him cringe and made his heart ache, but he couldn't turn back. He couldn't go and take Madara away. At least, not yet.

Madara's mother left the room to speak with his father, who, like his wife, also came into the boy's room and hit him. Then they shouted at him again, and then they left him alone to decide on what to do about it. Madara heaved out a sad sigh as he heard them talk about their options.

But they tried everything, it seemed. However… there was one thing left that they could do to keep him away from the Senju for good this time.

And so, they agreed on nailing the boy's window shut from the outside and locking him in his room at night from now on, telling him that they'd unlock his door in the morning since he had a very small bathroom connected to his room already.

Madara swore under his breath when he heard the lock turning on his door that night, and he fell onto his bed. Now he wouldn't be able to see Hashirama at all, and he was so frustrated, he could've punched the wall. Or cried.

Yet again, he was torn between doing both.

He was seething. Couldn't they see how much Hashirama meant to him? He was obviously willing to break rules to see him. They just didn't get it, he guessed.

He briefly contemplated running away from home the first chance he got, but where could he possibly go? He was just a child still – not even sixteen yet. That idea was suddenly pushed to the back of his mind – but not completely discarded.

He decided he needed some rest, and fell asleep rather quickly.

He hated that he was foolish enough to let this happen, and now because of it, he and Hashirama had to be apart.

As much as Madara feared love, he knew that's what this was that he was feeling, but this star-crossed love of theirs was hard to deal with. Madara just hoped things would go well in the end.

After all, he felt that they deserved as much.

—

Three nights passed, and Hashirama was still worried. He'd been waiting every night, and Madara had yet to show up. He calmed down and figured it'd be just like that other time and Madara would show up soon, but when the sun came up, he was proved wrong, and had to go home feeling disappointed. He wondered if Madara was waiting again and so he still kept going back every night.

He came back the next night, and yet still no Madara. The night after was the same. The night after that, too, and the next. Hashirama almost felt like giving up.

Hashirama worried about what'd happened to the Uchiha. He didn't exactly know, and it hurt deep inside. What if Madara's parents hurt him? Judging by the slap he'd heard, it wasn't unlikely, and Hashirama immediately discarded the idea of Madara just deciding he wasn't worth it; the Senju boy felt like he knew Madara better than that – he felt like the Uchiha's words of his feelings for him were true.

He felt that their intimate night together was enough proof of that.

But he wondered if Madara was ever going to come back. He wondered if Madara was okay, but he didn't know for sure. And after all, he had realized that he didn't have any clue on when he'd see Madara again.

He could've gone to Madara's house, again, but he was afraid of what would happen if he did. So he went back home with a sigh, hoping Madara was alright at least.

He lay in bed the evening, staring at the ceiling. He went to bed way earlier than he had to, but still he couldn't seem to sleep, no matter how hard he tried.

He sighed out, before hearing a faint noise. He curiously looked over to its source, his window, and he couldn't believe it.

Madara stood outside his window, peeking in as to check who was in this room. Hashirama flew out of bed and went to the window, opening it and startling the Uchiha.

"Madara…!" Hashirama whisper-shouted, his eyes widened. He reached his hand out, pulling Madara as close as he could and kissed him.

Madara gasped into the Senju's mouth, and Hashirama pulled away to help him inside, much like that recent night at Madara's home.

As soon as Madara's feet were touching the floor, Hashirama was kissing him again, and Madara held onto the older boy tightly.

"I missed you," he gasped out, pulling away to breathe for a moment. Madara nodded in agreement, not letting go of the other boy; the Uchiha had hurt his ankle. "What happened?"

"My parents nailed my window shut," is all Madara gave as an answer. Hashirama sighed out.

"How did you find me?" He then asked, caressing the Uchiha's cheek softly.

Madara shrugged slightly. "I went in the direction I always saw you go in when you left. I stumbled upon your house and I was checking to see if I saw you."

"Ah, lucky you didn't get lost, and good thing I saw you first."

"Yeah."

"But how did you get here if your window was nailed shut? And what about your parents? And your ankle?"

"My parents and Izuna went out, and when they did, they locked me in my room, and so I broke my window open with a hammer I'd snuck into my room earlier on and left. I left behind a note saying goodbye for now, and only took a little bit of my most important things, which are at the riverbank. I hurt my ankle on my way here; I'd tripped while running through the woods in a hurry. It was hard to walk to get here."

"You left a goodbye note? And your things are at the riverbank? Why? Where are you going?"

"Well… listen…" Madara sat down on the Senju's bed with some help, and Hashirama sat too, hoping Madara wasn't planning on leaving him behind. He didn't know what he'd do if that happened. "I'm running away… and I was wondering… would you, perhaps, be willing to run away with me?"

Hashirama didn't even have to think before answering. "Yes, anytime you want."

"You see, I've thought about this, but the only problem is I just don't know where we'd go. Also, I thought about how I don't want to abandon my family; I still love them, despite how angry they make me – well, mostly my parents; my brother hardly angers me – and I do have missed feelings about going, but I figured perhaps I can still write them letters – that I could leave when no one is there – and tell them I won't see them until they can accept that I care for an idiot like you."

The Senju boy nodded, grinning. "I know where we can go. I also know a place where we could stay, and where you and I could work to have money for food. It's mostly working with horses, but there's other things for us to do as well. We'll be okay. And I can do the same with my family. Perhaps we could get our clans to stop hating each other."

"That would be nice. Perhaps I could also get you to fix your odd haircut. It's been strange since we met, but it just gotten a little longer since then."

Hashirama childishly stuck his tongue out at Madara. "My hair is fine. Yours is out of control. It seems to keep getting wilder each time I see you. Also, I've just noticed now that it's gotten longer since I first met you as well."

"You just noticed?" Madara couldn't help but to snort. "Tch, how very observant of you."

"I don't pay attention to things like that, to be honest."

"Hmph."

They sat there for a moment, and then Hashirama shook his head and laughed lightly.

"I love you."

"So you've told me. And I've said before – I feel something akin to that for you, too."

"I know, but how long until you actually start calling it love?"

Madara didn't answer and the Senju kissed the Uchiha again. He'd missed Madara terribly and he knew that Madara must've missed him too.

They pulled apart slightly and Madara chuckled a little. "We kiss too much," he commented, and Hashirama nodded but kissed him yet again anyway.

Madara suddenly felt himself being pushed backwards, and his eyes flew open, and he pushed the older boy back just a little.

"What are you doing?" The Uchiha asked softly, feeling his cheeks heating up as his heartbeat increased in speed. "We… we don't have time right now…" Hashirama blushed as well, blinking.

"Sorry… I just… you know… well, you're really pretty, Madara… you do things to me…"

Madara rolled his eyes, his blush deepening. "I'm not pretty," he argued, feeling Hashirama gently move the hair out of his face. "Idiot. And I've done nothing to you. It's your stupid teenage hormones."

"But you are pretty," Hashirama insisted, laughing a little at the glare Madara gave him. "And you're embarrassed, which makes it better. Also, you're probably right, but I like to think it's you that makes me like this."

"You like to think it's me that makes you like what? Stupid? That's definitely not my fault. And for the last damn time, I'm not pretty. I'm not embarrassed, either."

"You're so mean to me," Hashirama said with a fake pout. "I meant–"

"I know what you meant," Madara interrupted, and Hashirama kissed his cheek.

"And Madara, you are pretty, if not more so, to me."

"I'm–"

But Madara couldn't finish. Hashirama had begun placing kisses on his neck, effectively shutting him up. He gasped a little, hands on the Senju's shoulders, gripping them tightly. His nails dug into the skin, but not enough to really hurt the older boy.

"Hashirama, you idiot," he uttered quietly and breathlessly, shuddering slightly. Hashirama pulled back from Madara's neck, only for the younger boy to hold him close and copy the Senju's previous actions, kissing Hashirama's neck gently and softly.

He must've found a sensitive spot, because Hashirama cried out his name a bit too loudly, and Madara had barely enough time to cover his mouth with the palm of his hand to muffle the sound.

"Quiet," Madara hissed, the blush on Hashirama's face and his widened eyes, as well as the protuberance in his pajama bottoms not going unnoticed. "You don't want to alert your parents, do you?"

"Sorry," Hashirama laughed breathily behind Madara's palm, and the Uchiha removed his hand, rolling his eyes. The older boy then lay beside Madara, holding him close.

As Hashirama began to doze off, Madara moved to get out of his bed, but the Senju stopped him.

"Where are you going?" He asked, feeling a bit worried, and Madara looked down at his sleepy face.

"I can't stay here, you know," the Uchiha said quietly. Hashirama let out a sigh. "My parents are probably about to be home, which means they'll be looking for me, and there's not much time left. If we're going to run away, we have to go now. Besides, we can't have your parents walking in and finding me in here. Or your troublesome brother."

Hashirama's lips parted. That means that this was the last day he'd spent with his family before leaving them for who knows how long.

"Let me leave a note before we go. And your brother is troublesome too."

"That's true. But he isn't always."

With Hashirama's help, Madara climbed out of the window. "Hurry up with your note, though," he said softly, holding onto the windowsill.

Hashirama nodded and quickly found a brush and some ink as well as paper and began writing his note.

'Mother, Father, Tobirama,

If you're reading this now that means I have left home. I didn't want to go without a proper goodbye but this will have to do – you would have tried to stop me if it were in person.

If you're wondering where I have gone, well… I've run away with the boy I've come to love and care for more than ever, Madara – the Uchiha you forbade me to see again. But before you dare say I'm too young to know what love is, don't; I know that how I feel for him is in a way I've never felt for another. You may think I'm stupid, but I don't care. I know I don't want to live without him. I know I don't want to be apart from him. He means the world to me. And Madara feels the same way about me. He loves me too.

We're the ones who fell in love even though we weren't supposed to, and stayed together, even when things got tough. We're the ones who fell in love even though we knew we would not be accepted by our own families, and yet, it didn't stop us. We still fell anyway, because it wasn't our choice. You don't get to choose who you love and who loves you. It just happens.

We're the ones who fell so damned hard in love that sometimes we wonder if it's possible to love another person as much as we love each other.

And as we fell, I never thought we'd hit this hard. I never thought we'd fall so hard in love but here we are. I know you think it's not right, but it's too late for that now.

I know that you wanted me to grow up and marry that Mito girl from the Uzumaki clan, but I just can't do that. I love Madara. And that's why I left with him – because I love him so much. But you, Mother and Father, as well his parents, wouldn't allow us to be together, and so we took matters into our own hands. You just… you can't keep us away from each other.

All we want is the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan to be able to get along, so we can love each other without any problems. We long to be accepted by both of our families.

Oh, and we have somewhere to go, so don't worry. I'll be fine. I'd still like to perhaps send you letters but you probably won't be able to send them back. Perhaps I'll leave some for you at times to let you know how things are going.

Don't think of this as you losing another son, because you haven't, but I won't be coming back, at least, not until you can accept my love for him – this boy. An Uchiha. No matter how long it takes. I will wait.

I will miss you all terribly, but you have to understand.

Anyway, I love you all. Goodbye, for now.

Also, Tobirama, don't worry too much while I'm gone.

-Hashirama.'

He read it a couple of times to make sure it sounded okay and not stupid.

"You almost done?" Came Madara's voice, and Hashirama smiled to himself.

"Yeah, just grabbing some things now."

He left the note on his bed and packed some things he wanted to take with him in a rucksack – mostly clothes, but some various other things as well, such as a picture of his family that was taken when his other brothers were still alive. He then grabbed and put on a blue crystal necklace he'd had, and climbed out of the window. He then helped Madara walk to the riverbank, so the Uchiha could get his things.

Hashirama smiled – he loved this place. He felt at peace here, always. "Promise me we'll still come back here?" He asked, and Madara picked up his little sack full of things, looking at Hashirama.

And the Uchiha nodded, smiling fondly. "I promise."

"You know, every minute from this minute now, we can do what we like, anywhere, anytime. We're free now, right?"

"Yeah. We are."

The Senju looked at the Uchiha. "You look tired," the older boy suddenly commented. "Should I carry you?"

Madara shook his head, eyes narrowed. "No. I don't need to be carried. Thank you anyway."

"Are you sure? I can carry you – you're pretty small."

"I'm fine. And shut up. Just support me a little, okay?"

"Okay," the Senju said, but after walking for a little, he picked the younger boy up suddenly anyway.

"Hey, put me down, you idiot Senju–" Madara began to protest.

"Oh, hush," Hashirama interrupted, smiling a little. "Now, let's get going."

"I don't know why I thought you'd listen to me."

"Maybe because you love me?"

Madara's lips parted, and he frowned, unable to think of a good response, so he just settled for, "Whatever."

And then the two were off, heading to the place Hashirama spoke of. This was a new beginning for them. No more would they have to meet in secret. No more would they have to be apart. No more would they have to be forbidden from seeing each other.

Now they could just be together and be happy.

—

- Two years later -

Hashirama and Madara stood on the bank of the river, skipping stones – Madara finally had been able to get his to the other side the year before, and he was still proud.

The Uchiha smiled and the Senju smiled, too, as he skipped his stone and reached down for another.

Madara watched him, admiring him.

Hashirama changed a lot. His hair was a lot longer, he wore better clothes, and he wasn't as annoying anymore, but he still had the tendency to make Madara blush (which Madara had found to be rather bothersome), and he was still just as handsome as he'd always been in Madara's eyes (although he hadn't admitted that aloud).

Madara had changed, too, but mostly in appearance. He noticed that Hashirama seemed to love playing with his hair that had gotten a lot longer and a lot wilder (and covered one of his eyes), and in all honesty, he liked when Hashirama played with his hair as well.

Hashirama gazed over at the Uchiha, who looked rather thoughtful, and smiled again. "What's on your mind?" He asked, and Madara began to speak softly.

"Hashirama?" He uttered, fiddling with the stone in his hand.

"Hm?"

"Even after all this time, do you still love me as much as you did then? When we ran away together?"

Hashirama thought about it for a moment, smiling wider and wrapping his arms around the younger boy, embracing him. "Always. Why would you ask a thing like that?"

"Just curious," Madara replied with a sigh, feeling content, and he closed his eyes. He could say that right now, he was really, really happy.

The Senju and the Uchiha clans were no longer feuding, due to Madara and Hashirama leaving for the most part, but also because of Madara eventually asking Hashirama about the Sharingan.

Apparently, the Senju still had it in their possession and Hashirama snuck into his old house one night to get it. He gave it to Madara, who held onto it until the other Uchiha agreed to give the Senju their Mokuton back.

The Senju, now with their Mokuton back, and the Uchiha with their Sharingan back, both agreed to sign a peace treaty.

So everything was okay between the clans, and yet Madara and Hashirama still chose to live on their own, but they still visited their families often. Their families also got used to their relationship, and actually wanted them to marry after they both were eighteen (Madara's eighteenth birthday was approaching fairly soon), to strengthen the relationship between the clans.

Hashirama was perfectly okay with marriage, but Madara was still a bit iffy on it. Although Hashirama was sure he could convince him that it was a good idea.

In any case, things turned out quite alright in the overall scheme of things.

Madara looked at Hashirama, who was still holding him close and still smiling, and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"You know, I've always loved you, too," he said softly, looking into those brown eyes he'd grown to love so long ago.

"I know. I've always known."

Madara rolled his eyes, scoffing. "Hmph, did you know that you can be an idiot sometimes?"

Hashirama gave a laugh. "You might have told me," he said, a grin still playing about on his lips. "Did you know… that I love your eyes? All that I am – all that I ever was is right here in your perfect eyes. You always saw me for who I really am and always have been with those beautiful eyes of yours. They're all I can see. When I sleep and dream, or even when I'm awake."

"Hush. All the time you're complimenting me, and I don't even deserve it. You think way too highly of me."

"That's not true. I just love you."

Madara didn't respond right away, and Hashirama knew he was embarrassed. "I love you as well," he said softly after a moment. Caressing Madara's cheek, the Senju spoke again, his voice also soft.

"Did you know that I love coming here, to the riverbank, more because this is the place we met and fell in love?"

Madara rolled his eyes, blushing slightly. He looked into the eyes of the boy who changed his whole world in such a short amount of time, but the boy he'd known for three years. The boy he fell in love with.

"Idiot Senju, don't you get all mushy on me."

"But you know you like it when I get all sentimental."

"Tch, whatever you say."

Hashirama smiled, pouring every ounce of love he had for this boy into one expression, which left Madara feeling a little breathless if he was honest. Neither of them ever thought it was possible to love someone so much.

"Madara…" Hashirama began, that smile still on his face, "Did you know that… you're pretty?"

Madara blushed and yet frowned all at the same time, but pressed a kiss to Hashirama's lips.

"…Oh, shut up, you idiot."

Hashirama laughed softly. "You love me."

Madara smiled fondly at that. "Yeah… yeah I do."

Things did go well in the end after all, just as Madara and Hashirama had hoped. Perhaps even more so.

—

wow, this is the longest thing I've ever written at one time. The original oneshot was actually 7k and i doubled it, making it 14k.

This was low-key inspired by a few songs i like (but mostly chasing cars by snow patrol) and Romeo and Juliet, because like Hashirama's and Madara's relationship and their clans hating each other reminded me of Romeo and Juliet so...

In any case, I hope you enjoyed this. c: